Joe Girardi sparked a great deal of drama during Tuesday night’s game between his Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals when he asked the umpiring crew to do a foreign substance check on Max Scherzer. After the game, the manager said he was simply trying to do what was best for his team.
Girardi told reporters after his team’s 3-2 loss that he has watched Scherzer pitch for a long time but never seen him wipe his head the way he did during Tuesday’s game. He said he didn’t intent to offend anyone but found it “suspicious.”
Girardi requested the foreign substance check mid-inning during the bottom of the fourth. Scherzer was extremely annoyed and even responded by partially undressing in front of the umpires.
The following inning, Scherzer blew a 3-2 fastball by JT Realmuto for an inning-ending strikeout. Scherzer stared down Girardi on his way to the dugout. Girardi responded by verbally challenging Scherzer to a fight, and the manager was ejected. You can see the video here.
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